Lost Children
by fsdfsdfsd
Summary: Compilation of all works in my Self-Created Challenge: Correct the AU as we go along. AU Premise: The six rescued kids seen in the flashback of episode 2 were raised by Hanoi. Each chapter is a different story based around this one-sentence prompt, either based on or inspired by the corresponding episode of VRAINS.
1. Bust

A perfect track record for years, and then the Ignis.

If Playmaker hadn't been there to see it, he would've assumed the Ignis was hiding somewhere, camouflaged itself in the VRAINS. But this…

One minute it was there, the next it was gone. An escape route, opened up in the middle of _nowhere_ , bypassing both SOL Tech's shields and Hanoi's- including the ones Yusaku designed himself.

He runs diagnostics- both the ones he designed and the ones in his soul. Nothing. No sight of it. But there was something there, an address that's being scrambled over and over as he watches it.

Seconds from his prey, Playmaker can barely accept this. He does, of course- denial leads to mistakes, and he's not that sloppy. He knows better than that.

He can't say the same for the soldier riding Cracking Dragon behind him, who almost crashes when he stops and now looks utterly lost. "Where is it?" They- she, if memory serves- demands. "It's here, right?"

Under the mask on his avatar, Playmaker growls. "Not here." Obviously.

"But- it has to be." The soldier, Haruda Yumiko in real life, insists. "It couldn't have escaped from the inside, and we know SOL Tech wouldn't make an exit in their own program. It couldn't be with them, they'd make too much noise about it."

That's actually a fair point. He'll have to correct his impression of Haruda, apparently she was more than just a decent duelist. If the Ignis couldn't have gotten itself out, it definitely wasn't in the VRAINS anymore, and neither Hanoi nor SOL Technologies had it…

Though his avatar's mask is no more than ones and zeroes, to Yusaku it's as though something is trapping his breath in it, stifling him with heat. "Log out." He orders Ha- the soldier. "We're leaving."

"But- the Ignis-"

"It's not here." A quick check that the area was clear before Playmaker withdraws his monsters. "There has to be a third party involved- whoever it is will have thought this through. They won't get caught, but staying here only increases the chances that someone will track our signals."

The soldier clearly wants to argue, but she nods and obeys all the same. Alone in the VRAINS, Playmaker takes a few minutes to calm himself. Checks the area again, make sure Haruda's retreat is clear. Wonders who could have done this- and why.

"Who else wants it…" Nobody, as far as he knew.

Could it have been SOL? They were doing government-contracted jobs five years ago, and the military has been known to recruit skilled hackers. Perhaps one of the chairmen convinced an old friend to lend them a hand, just one person.

It didn't matter. Whoever did this was good enough that he wasn't going to be able to do anything about it staying here. With one last determined growl, Playmaker logged off.

Yusaku groaned as the devices around him whirled and slowed, slowly getting up from his chair. "All these years…"

Whoever stole the Ignis was going to pay. As a duelist and as a hacker, Yusaku wouldn't let this battle go until he came out on top.


	2. Configuration

"Ahh, of course it takes five 'slip ups' on my behalf to draw _you_ out." Somewhere out of sight, the Ignis giggled, high-pitched and breathy. "Well well well, _who's_ the prisoner now?"

Not trapped forever, Playmaker told himself. He tried a quick scan of the area, surely the Ignis couldn't do more than tamper with the graphics.

"We'll see about that." Playmaker said.

From the back of Cracking Dragon, the strange glowing green wires weaving in and out of the walls, ceiling and floor served as the only way Playmaker could define boundaries of the hallway he was in. Yet there was no signal coming from either- no signal getting through at all.

He tried again, this time targeting one of the wires. Nothing. It was as though there wasn't just no signal, but no data. But that was impossible- at worst Yusaku would expect to find an address that was out of his reach. Not even that.

"You might want to save time and stop that."

Right, of course. The Ignis- or whoever was impersonating it- would just love for him to give up. Ordinarily Playmaker would take that as a sign he was close to getting positive results. Except of course he didn't _have_ anything- no leads, nothing special done, no clue.

Above him, a glowing yellow eye manifested in the wall. Though it had no face, the Ignis seemed to be grinning at him. Despite himself, Playmaker shuddered.

He had no clues as to where to go, no clue what to do, and no clue how to foil whatever plan it had for him. Unless…

The Ignis had been spotted four times before this. Each time it had been heavily pursued one of Playmakers other comrades, and temporarily captured by Blue Angel. It only sprung this trap now, not when the others had attacked it, and the last appearance had been six hours before.

It had planned this- targeted Yusaku specifically for this trap.

That help promise. It changed the dynamic of this situation from hostage/kidnapper to convincer/convince. Or at the very least opened the possibility of a compromise.

Steeling himself, Playmaker spoke. "Ignis."

The eye blinked. "Yes?"

"What do you want from me?"

The eye squinted, scrutinizing him or perhaps pretending to. "What do _I_ want?" It said casually. "What do you care what I want? Aren't most people more concerned with their own desires?"

Playmaker's fists clenched. "Don't toy with me."

"I'm just saying, aren't you really thinking about what _you_ want?"

It seemed living inside of the internet for most of one's life resulted in the most logical upbringing. The Ignis had clearly spent too long watching trolls on message boards. "If you just wanted someone to taunt, you could've done that with any of the Knights."

"Ah, but none of them have the same investments you do." The eye glinted, giving the impression of a sly smirk. "Or at the very least your goals are unique among that group."

Confirming that the Ignis _had_ been targeting him didn't encourage Playmaker as much as he'd hoped it would. To spy on him was one thing, but Yusaku's secrets… "How did you-" He stopped himself before he could reveal too much- for all he knew this was being recorded. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, nothing much." That insufferable sneak- whoever designed it should be shot. "Just noticing that you spend more free time away from the others of your little group than they do. Or rather… with one specific person."

Shoichi. It knew about Shoichi. Playmaker snarled, "If you hurt him, I will find a way to make you suffer."

"Don't worry, I'm not here to talk about 'damaged' boys." The eye glinted, a faux friendly smile. "You're the guest after all, so it stands to reason you should be the subject of interest."

No. Too many games, that was too clearly a threat. "Liar. You brought him up when you have me helpless. You haven't hurt me yet, so you clearly want something from me. If this isn't a threat it's a waste of time, so therefore this is a threat."

"No no, you've got it all wrong!" The Ignis kept insisting, "I only brought him up because the reason _why_ you keep visiting him is relevant to me."

A bluff. Unless the Ignis knew Shoichi himself- but that was impossible. Shoichi could barely move on a good day, and that was with Yusaku encouraging him. He couldn't be convinced to duel, when he fought he'd forget who was on his side, and if you gave him code he'd give you something completely functional but irrelevant to the task at hand.

Shoichi was the least useful of the six. If it wasn't for Yusaku's protection he'd have never survived this long, he'd have been sent out as a suicide bomber or "retired." Worst of all, if you spent long enough with him you realized that he was much more capable than he let on. That half the time he was messing up on purpose.

Shoichi's complete refusal to give in and become another one of Revolver's pet monsters was the trait Yusaku most respected and hated in him.

God knew Yusaku wasn't that brave. That was why he was the one stuck here. "He's not useful to you beyond how he's connected to me-"

"Exactly." The Ignis said, much more serious now. "The one weakness of the great Playmaker, and yet he's a weakness to you and you alone." It was challenging him- but for what? "How come none of the others in your little group ever visit him? How come you're the only one who seems to care?"

That was-

That wasn't any of their faults. When you had challenges to face, you needed to focus on doing what you could to survive. To get through your own tasks and ensure you were useful enough to buy yourself another day of living. Yusaku couldn't blame the others for putting their work first.

Hell, the only reason he had any time for Shoichi was because he specialized in hacking. His job didn't require a strictly maintained public cover like Go, or the emotional drain of being the one thing new recruits saw and potential allies expected like Aoi. Yusaku could stay in one building for months, years even.

Yusaku could build a safe place for an emotionally troubled boy and keep it long enough to provide a little happiness. Especially not when that boy wanted to die.

It wasn't like that was going to change soon. On the off-handed chance Yusaku managed to get Shoichi out of Hanoi, where could he go? Without Hanoi Yusaku didn't have the resources to hire a caretaker and he couldn't take care of himself. Even after five years, Shoichi still had days where he confused Yusaku with a long-gone older brother.

The Ignis had no right to bring up such painful memories.

Steeling himself Playmaker spoke. "That's none of your concern." He fought to keep his face blank. "What I do, or what any of the others on our own has nothing to do with you."

For a moment the Ignis watched Playmaker, expecting something more. It said, "But it says something about you."

Ah, back on topic. "And what's that?"

"You care."

Yusaku blinked. That was an odd non-sequitur. "Everyone has something they care about." Yusaku pointed out.

"Yes, but you care about something other than your mission." In the wall, the eye rolled itself. "You care about something other than Hanoi. Which is rather odd for someone who's been all but raised by them. One would think that meeting Hanoi's goals would be the most important thing in your life.

"Yet it's not. Why is that?"

Was this just a question-and answer? Just a chance for the Ignis to fulfil some gaps in its knowledge, or a reward-based form of curiosity? "Why do you care?" Playmaker asked.

The eye smiled again. "I'm trying to see if you're worth saving." Saving? "Hanoi is powerful, and they may want you to think that they hold all the cards, but do you really think they're going to be around forever?"

It squinted at him, challenging him, and it said, "They've made many enemies. Sooner or later, someone is going to take them down. And there's many ways for that to happen- some with more collateral damage than others. Some, with less collateral.

"Some, where certain people-"

The hallway rumbled, and the eye widened, the Ignis caught off guard. From the tremors Playmaker's sensors picked up patterns in the tone and depth. "It's him." One of the other six.

The eye glanced back at Playmaker, frantic and wide. "I- I'll leave you to think about it." Another tremor, the eye moved within the walls to get to the floor. "I'll be in touch- just go tell your rescuers that I didn't hurt you. Or better yet-"

Playmaker braced himself, but he was still unprepared for the flash-bang light of the Ignis breaking the trap. On one end a monster burst through the ceiling, the eye creating and diving through a sinkhole, and Yusaku thrown backwards through the wall at neck-breaking speeds.

He'd been trained to diffuse shock from a bad VRAINS disconnection, but he still jerked upright in his chair. Swallowed down vomit before it came up.

Outside his room he heard music playing, the caretaker must've taken them back from the park. That wasn't good- as far as Yusaku knew he'd only been under for an hour and Shoichi was supposed to get more exercise than that. Must've passed a fire truck or a police car, and came back when the siren set Shoichi off.

There was a ping on his screen, probably from Revolver. Yusaku knew he'd have to answer it soon, but for now he needed to recover. He was in no shape to work or even give a report. If they really wanted it they could just turn on the cameras, see just how 'well' he was doing.

When he was sure he could breathe, Yusaku pushed the screen away and pulled his knees up to his chest.

Breathe in, breathe out _._ In, out. Deep breaths, just like they showed you. Wait until the world stops spinning and it's possible to move.

Curled up in a ball in a loaned apartment, Yusaku remembered what the Ignis had said about Hanoi going down. Wondered what it would mean for Yusaku and the little circle of people he cared about. Wondered if they had any hope of survival after all they'd done.

Wondered if there was anything he could do to save them.


	3. Surfing

"nd with the recent drop in the local value of LID-Corp goods, the market value of SOL Technologies goods could see a major rise in"

 **BZZ**

"omplete. In other news, today marks the two weeks since the assassination of"

 **BZZ**

"still no leads on the suspect? I mean, come on! There's gotta be"

 **BZZ**

"City Council has released plans for a special election, to replace the"

 **BZZ**

"middle of nowhere, we've got plenty of allies, this is Den City! This kinda thing"

 **BZZ**

"former general, has announced his displeasure with Den City's inability to catch"

 **BZZ**

"Hanoi! We all know that's who did it- I mean, c'mon. We got cyberterrorists putting hundreds of people in the hospital, almost a dozen deaths from the shock, and they think there's anybody else with the ski"

 **BZZ**

"kids! Boppity the Hap"

 **BZZ**

"y this point I'm starting to think someone on the council did it. It's too"

 **BZZ**

"one person?"

"The whole building was shut-down, SOL Technologies is insisting that whoever it was couldn't have made contact outside, and that only one small device"

 **BZZ**

"There is no proof. There is absolutely no. Proof. That the assassin was dedicated to any one particular group. This guy could be for-profit, somebody out there could've called him up and hired him"

 **BZZ**

"A VRAINS avatar can look like anything it wants, can't it? So how do we know a woman _didn't_ kill"

 **BZZ**

"So Inception is real?"

"Well there's no way to tell for sure without examining the body, but the police didn't call me in as a specialist, and they won't let"

 **BZZ**

"Oi, Yusaku, turn that off! Foods here. What are you even watching, anyways?"

"…"

"Look, we knew there'd be publicity from this one. I don't know why we did it this way, but that's what the job called for. If you're worried about getting caught-"

"No. Nobody got me on camera, and even if they did my avatar isn't recognizable."

"Still, you look grim. That's not the sort of face I expect from you after a job well done. Well, unless you count the I-can't-figure-this-code-out grim look after a few hours of personal hacking."

"It's nothing, Kusanagi. Let's just eat."


	4. Guardian

Still. There are days when Shoichi thinks he might be going down the wrong path.

Not for Yusaku- god knows the boy wants to achieve this goal as much as Shoichi himself. Sometimes he wonders about that, but Yusaku is always certain of his own path.

The boy says so himself- he understands the risks and he made his decision. Just because Yusaku doesn't know the whole truth doesn't mean he's not capable of making decisions.

No, what worries Shoichi is the separation from his brother. Their positions keep them apart, what with Rev running the entire operation in place of the founder and Shoichi assigned to Yusaku, and he can't help worrying about Rev. What's he doing? Is he taking care of himself? Is Specter giving him enough time to mature?

He knows that this was the best option when he took it- the only option that let him keep in contact with his brother. Nobody with half a brain would let Shoichi be Rev's watcher.

If push came to shove and Rev proved too dangerous, Shoichi would never be able to put him down.

More importantly, Shoichi knows that Rev isn't dangerous like that- that he'd never lose control. And because of that, Shoichi knows he'd be blind to any warning signs if Rev was about to snap.

Better to handle Yusaku. Better for Yusaku, at least. Most people think he's painfully stoic, but Shoichi's learned to recognize all of the little flags that prove he isn't. He knows that Yusaku doesn't always smile when he's happy, but sometimes he'll fidget instead. He knows Yusaku's methods of self-expression better than Yusaku himself.

Knows Yusaku better than Yusaku knows himself. Proud, pragmatic, driven Yusaku with too many thoughts and not enough friends.

The kid's tougher than he looks, but not as strong as he thinks. Shoichi can work with that- he's the only one who knows how to work with that. He makes suggestions instead of orders, points out flaws instead of prohibits, asks questions when nobody else would.

It's fulfilling to be his handler- his caretaker. It's just…

Sometimes Shoichi wonders if Specter does the same thing for Rev that Shoichi does for Yusaku. Sometimes he worries that his brother is being guided and directed without being loved.


	5. Propaganda

By some miracle, Go managed to get invited to the public ceremony hosted by the City on the very first March 28th after his debut on the dueling scene.

It wasn't a big role - he was only to partake in one of the exhibition duels, then sit on the podium for the service. All they needed him to be was an entertaining duelist, and then just quiet window-dressing to show the people that the city's method of mourning had its supporters.

He'll play the part, of course. Go knows that doing anything that would get him labeled "subversive" when he's only just starting to make a name for himself is more likely to hurt him than not. There's enough "crazy celebrities" out there, and the people running magazines have plenty of experience in destroying careers and reputations.

Go is young, but he's not stupid. He knows that one day he'll have enough sway to say what he truly means, to share his knowledge with the world.

But there's more than one type of fame. Even if he wins every duel, if the public thinks he's a crackpot they'll watch his battles and then smile and nod blankly when he tries to speak honestly. His entire mission, his entire _purpose_ , completely redundant.

People are stupid, they don't want to listen to anything they haven't already heard.

Although Go knows it's not that simple. It's not that people are stupid, it's that a person doesn't have the time or the energy to pay attention to everything that's important in life. Very few people can do the research and educate themselves fully on even a single issue in their lives.

They find an expert they trust to summarize the problem for them, putting their approach to life in the hands of a stranger.

Go has no intention of being "that person my favorite news caster mocks a lot." Granted if he's to make a stand that's bound to happen sooner or later, but if the world has already formed its opinion of him then the detractors will have less ground to stand on. First impressions are crucial, and the trick is making sure as many people as possible think favorably of him before their other idols and icons begin telling them to hate him.

He knows that's the way the world works. He knows life isn't fair. Just being right won't make people believe him.

And yet…

He knows it will be hard to sit there on the podium and listen to the speaker preach on and on about "remembering our losses" and then telling Den city to "forgive and forget." As though the memory alone is enough. As though there aren't thousands, millions of victims still suffering from their nightmares and losses.

It's like the pacifists and the preachers don't know about the civil wars still raging the world over. As though the Great Reboot didn't leave millions of Fusionite war criminals running free, all four worlds pretending that peace equals absolution. Like they don't live in a City-State surrounded by dozens of other City-states, allied but separated by geography and governing.

As though a full third of their population isn't gone forever from starvation or radiation or any death that wasn't directly caused by Solid Vision weapons.

First-hand experience takes precedence over second-hand knowledge, and yet despite remembering nothing of The Invasion Go knows in his gut that he understands the cost of that war better than most of those who lived through it. It makes him furious to think about it, to know that he's going to have to stand by and watch as the "leaders" of Den city preach ignorance and passivity.

There's a more optimistic side to Go that wonders if the speakers really mean anything they say, or if they're just doing whatever they must to keep the representatives from Pendulum, Synchro and Fusion happy.

If it wasn't so horrible it'd be hilarious that his world has taken help from the people who destroyed it, but what else could they do? Pendulum would withdraw its donations of food, supplies, and trained specialists to anyone who started refusing aid from Fusion. Keeping their hands clean while offering sadistic choices in the name of peace.

Most, if not all of the civilizations that stand now are only functional because of the aid they got from those dimensions.

SOL Technologies is as much of a boon as it is a threat. The only reason why Hanoi hasn't thoroughly destroyed their chief opponent is because doing so would remove everything that makes the city independent. Becoming the largest producers and exporters of dueling equipment has made Den city strong enough to function without aid, but that doesn't mean the cities they sell their goods to don't still rely on donations for survival.

It's a cruel, cruel world, where survival of atrocities is bought with silence.

That's why Hanoi exists. That's why Go has a job to do- to remind the people what they sacrificed in the name of survival. He knows that one day, in two, five, maybe ten years, he'll be the one speaking at the podium. He'll talk about recovery and healing, but not forgiveness. And he won't pretend this whole world is recovering.

Oh, he won't be too blunt. Even when the people trust you, they can still be frightened off by shows of passion. He'll wear a normal nice outfit, just one red scarf of solidarity. He'll smile for the cameras.

He'll talk about how the world was hurt, for the small children with families unable or unwilling to speak of it, and to bring the memories forward in everyone else. Then he'll talk about where they are now, how their city is alive and blossoming.

But Go will remind the people that they were the ones to make themselves strong- not Pendulum. That they, the Xyzians, fought alone for most of the war. That two weeks of a fragile, two-man alliance isn't the same thing as a long-lasting history of mutual trust and respect.

Perhaps Go will be able to convince Kurosaki to come in person. He has always admired the man for refusing to support the dependence forced on Xyz, even if he

And that Den City has been lucky- regardless of the stupid and outright suicidal decisions Go knows SOL Technologies has made in regards to the Cyverse, he's going to have to give them credit for protecting and strengthening their world as a whole.

Japan has a fairly strong infrastructure, but bands of raiders still terrorize Mumbai, New York is ruled by an ever-changing collection of warlords, and Seoul is almost always under siege from its neighbors. Their world has been raped, and the people of Den City have been told "Ignore it. You have food, your family has a home, why care about anything else?"

On the same day that an alien dimension invaded their home, Go wants the people to remember that their world wasn't always enslaved by other dimensions.

He'll stop there, but Go wants the people to hear his words and think. To realize that something is terribly wrong with the world. To realize that things can change, should change, must change. For all the resources Hanoi has been giving to the Ignis, Go is one of the few who keeps his mind on Hanoi's true goal, the reason they existed, long before the Cyverse did.

Yusaku spends sleepless nights building digital traps, and Aoi rushes to VRAINS every time the Ignis shows up, but Go is the one who's task will continue after the Cyverse is gone.

No matter how dangerous that thing may be, once it's dead the threat will be gone. Go is trying to tackle a problem that's much, much more complex than the one that the other five are so occupied with. Even if the stakes are lower, Go's battle is infinitely fiercer.


	6. Honeypot

"I think you're his type."

Of course she did, she hated tasks that required social interaction. Outside the VRAINS Aoi had even less charisma than Yusaku himself. "You've barely tried. You just spent twenty minutes trying to get him as a partner, failed to impress because you've never played tennis, and then failed to get him in a conversation because you had nothing to talk about."

She glared, only slightly, but enough to remind him of Aoi's skills in a spar. "I was being polite."

"You were being creepy."

Aoi shrugged. "He probably has a lot of strange girls go up to him and ask about his job or dueling. Dueling is related to his job, and his job produces his income, which the girls are probably thinking about when they approach him. I need to show him that my first thought when I see him isn't about what he can buy me. To do that, I need an introduction that doesn't have a clear connection to his wealth."

She started to take off her sweater, and Yusaku carefully turned his attention to his drink. A pool boy walked past, ignoring two wealthy teenagers out on what could have been a first date.

"There's three problems with that line of thought." Yusaku said. "One, most gold diggers will only get one chance to approach him and they know it, so he's probably accustomed to money-seeking women targeting him specifically. The amount of time you waited before playing made it clear that you were trying to get Zaizen's attention, which makes it clear you were targeting him.

"Two, you approached him with an activity you have no skill in, which implies you lack interest in tennis. Since you spent so long trying to play tennis with him, and you have no interest in tennis, therefore your interest must be with him.

"Three, you're playing against type."

Aoi tapped the table. To an outsider, she looked like a bored girl on an uncomfortable date, but those who knew her would take note of the speed of her taps and stiffness of her finger. It was Aoi's way of saying: "I've had a long day and you're pushing my buttons, please back off before I do something I regret."

"Zaizen isn't interested in cheap flings. His purchases check out and he's got no credit accumulated with any of the escort services in Den City, or any other city he frequents for that matter." She said.

"That doesn't mean he's looking for a summer fling either." Yusaku said.

"Hey, your idea was to follow him until we found 'something we can use.' If I listened to you we'd have been caught and thrown out for stalking."

"He's probably noticed me with you by now." Yusaku caught a brief glimpse of Akira Zaizen in the reflection of one of the servants' trays. He was heading inside. "If I approach him now, we'll probably be charged with stalking anyways."

Why did Revolver think the two of them could do this mission? Yusaku had no social skills to speak of and Aoi could barely keep herself from freaking everybody out with that creepy stare of hers. Neither of them was cut out for espionage work.

Yusaku highly doubted that SOL Technologies had any more information on Firedog than Hanoi did.

SOL Technologies might boast being the lead technological developers in the nation, but Hanoi had ways of finding out their deepest secrets. They couldn't go through every detail, but Yusaku knew for a fact their information went far deeper than SOL Technologies believed.

Even if they had managed to keep some information out of Hanoi's grasp, Zaizen would have acted on it by now. At the very least they would have noticed him make a move in that regard.

Besides which, Firedog had barely been active since catching the Ignis. He or she never went directly onto the VRAINS, and never left any trace behind when finished. There was no lead that SOL Technologies could have followed up on. If anything Hanoi had more clues, ever since the Ignis sent out that signal a few nights ago.

For some reason unfathomable to Yusaku, Revolver got it in his head that they needed somebody to get an in on Zaizen. If it was up to Yusaku he'd be working on analyzing the data storm to track it back to its source. Something productive, at least.

It seemed that Aoi agreed with him. "They should have sent Go."


	7. Strain

She comes to slowly, forehead resting in a pile of her own vomit and tremors slowly subsiding.

In front of her She is waiting patiently for Aoi to finish. Standing by the door and watching, giving her time to recuperate. It seems Aoi didn't fuck it all up completely today, or else She would've left her there or dragged her out.

Aoi pushes up a little as a test, to see if she's strong enough. Feels her stomach roll and goes back down before she contributes more to the pile. Her handler doesn't flinch.

From the ground Aoi can smell the cleaning agent used on the floor even through her own sick. The sterile smell reminds her of needles and hospital beds, the check-up and bed-rest enforced after the last time she did this.

Aoi knows that she fucked up. Her guardian knows it, whoever was on the recon team knows it, by this point even Revolver probably knows. Especially Revolver. Her actions today were an embarrassment to herself, to the program, and to the entirety of Hanoi.

She knows there will be repercussions. She just doesn't know how much.

After a few minutes Aoi starts to wonder if she really did go too far, if she'll need to be medicated or operated on. The woman in front of her doesn't seem to care, or maybe she's just decided that Aoi can handle listening for a little while.

"So, I'm assuming you already understand the cost of your actions."

Aoi considers the benefits of trying to speak, and decides that her health takes priority. She keeps her head down, but nods slightly.

"Are you sure? Because that's what you said the last time you tried playing the berserker." Aoi doesn't wince. "That little stunt of yours was dangerous the first time, foolish the second, and stupid today."

And Aoi's dead family, may the lights of Astra and Baria keep them, would be so disappointed if they could see her now. She knows this- she doesn't need or want a reminder.

"Your opponent wasn't an immediate threat, and he wasn't about to win. If you'd stuck to your strategy instead of rushing in to fix one little slip-up, you could've won."

Except that's not true. He'd planned it- he made it clear he'd been guiding her into that position. She didn't do anything remarkable or impressive, she was being predictive and he was going to use that.

She'd been about to fail.

"Aoi." The woman gets close to her, crouches so that she's close enough to reach out and stroke her hair if she wants to. "This isn't just about your loss. I hope you know that although we care about you winning, it's not as important as keeping you alive.

"It's come to my attention that Aoi, you want to win more than you want to live, don't you?" What else is she supposed to do?

"What happened today shows that. But Aoi, the problem with wanting victory over life is that it can mislead you. Forget what all those old stories of martyrs and heroes say, if you change the world for someone else to live in, all you're doing is leaving the mess you made for someone else to fix.

"I know you may think that putting your dueling over yourself is honorable, and the right thing to do, but Aoi, it's a flaw. You could have won today, but you lost because you were too fixated on the chance of losing to keep fighting."

It's sweet, and Aoi knows that she means best. She always does- she's been like a mother to her all these years. But Aoi can't agree. Because she's only alive for one purpose, only one thing that defines her. Without that, she has nothing.

Blue Angel knows her place in the world is fragile, and she'll do anything to protect it.


	8. Love

If you'd ask him, Akira would deny that he jumped when Ema slammed the door open one Friday evening. Never mind that such was a natural reaction to loud, unexpected noises, he would insist he only found it strange because he knew for a fact she'd performed her last job well. "I take it my boss wasn't too happy with your work."

She shook her head as she kicked her shoes off. "He liked my work just fine. It was the results that pissed him off."

There were certain secrets about his work that Akira wasn't privy to, but he knew that risks were inherent and gambles had to be made. Middle-level workers like himself were rarely told what goal their work would ultimately be used to achieve, but even the ones giving those orders regularly worked with incomplete information.

Confidentiality was a necessity for government contractors at any level (even more so thanks to Hanoi's efforts), but inadequacy was often the result.

No matter how well thought-out his superiors' plans, they were often conceived with false premises in mind, doomed to fail from the start. Time, money, and effort wasted, and nobody could tell until they brought all the pieces together and watched them collapse.

As an employee of SOL, Akira could already envision the mountain of cleanup work he'd have to face come Monday. As Ema's partner, he chose to spend the moment brightening both their days. "You wanna call for takeout or should I?"

"I thought you were making Oyakodon."

"Would you prefer that?" Ema cast him a glance, so he explained, "I thought tonight would be a good time for us to treat ourselves."

He waited while she contemplated the options, until she said, "I think that new American-style restaurant does deliveries."

They did. Akira could remember their number and had it into the phone quickly. "You want me to get pizza, or try something new?"

Ema smiled, for both of them knew that Akira already knew what she'd answer. "Something new." She chuckled as she said, "I'm feeling adventurous tonight." So, she wanted to unwind.

It was an old joke between them, one that they both enjoyed without ever saying it outright. For Ema, there could be no peace without challenge. No joy without action. She needed adventure and exploration to live as much as she needed food or water.

It was why she chose her career, why she'd entered a field largely dominated by men and why she'd defied everything the world told her to be. The life of a bounty hunter gave her everything she craved, while dodging the pencil-pushing and regulations linked with the likes of military and law enforcement.

Akira knew this when he first met Ema as the new hire, tasked with passing her payment and instructions in lieu of his superior. He noticed the warnings on his own, and saw nothing he couldn't handle.

Ema may be a wildfire, but Akira knew the secret to loving a flame was to respect it.

Their relationship had taken time to grow, longer to develop, and patience to nurture. Akira knew he hadn't the stomach to explore Ema's work and still see her as anything more than a monster. A sociopath could have or fake a genuine connection with another human being and still see the rest of the world as garbage, although Akira wasn't certain that Ema qualified as one.

He didn't know if she truly gave a damn about him, and he could live with that. She gave him her time, attention, and willingness to compromise just as much as he gave her. Who she tortured for information didn't matter to him if he didn't have to see it.

Akira was never afraid of her, not once in six years. Afraid for her, occasionally. Afraid of losing her once, but not so much so he'd backed down until they both agreed to compromise.

And Ema could go wherever she pleased, do whatever she liked, but she chose to come back to him. She could've moved from city to city as she pleased, but after each long-distance trip she somehow always found her way back. Akira had offered to move, once when she'd extended a work trip to take on a double job, but Ema had laughed and assured him she'd return soon.

"This place gets its money from its trade and the farmers under their protection." She'd said through the phone, "Who needs a local specialist when all your thinking is imported?"

"But you-"

"I'll be fine." She'd smiled at the camera. "This will take just a week or so, and I'll be on my way home. Can you wait three weeks for me?"

He'd heard something then, in the sound of her voice. Something that was rushed and resigned, and Akira knew that Ema had wanted to stay in that city. But she didn't think he would.

Sometimes he thought about what she'd said and how she'd said it. When his superiors signed him up for assignments without asking him, or he was passed over in favor of the latest rising star. When he remembered that he wasn't tied down any more than Ema was, only apartment leases and work contracts and citizenship binding him to Den City.

Once, Akira was convinced that it was his stability that pulled Ema to him. Wild wants uptight, moody seeks cheerful, that sort of thing. Perhaps there was some of that in their base attraction, but Akira had come to appreciate what they had in common more than where they were opposites.

When Akira was mediocre, it was deliberate. He didn't care all that much about work beyond making a paycheck. When something mattered to him, he could push hard and think smart. The more important the challenge, the more he enjoyed rising to meet it.

Ema thrived on constant chaos and adventure and Akira spent most of his time floating through life, but whenever he found one of those rare risks worthy of his attention he delighted in it. She needed to find trouble, he couldn't leave an unsolved problem. And when the two of them clashed, it always became an adventure of its own.

Sure, the arguments and rocky times early in their relationship had been draining and stressful. But the two of them were such people that they could never part ways until they'd either found a solution or agreed that the downsides of staying together outweighed the benefits. Neither of them liked to think of the latter, but they weren't foolish enough to deny the possibility. And the threat of failure meant both of them were willing to discard pride, anger, fear and resentment if those things kept them from moving forward.

Yet neither one was willing to let any issue die without facing its causes- without working to prevent a similar mistake from occurring again. And so with each disagreement they challenged each other, each reconciliation they conquered and measured their hearts, and each agreement they grew a little more.

With time and maturity, understanding grew and harsh feelings took longer to build. They hadn't had a fight in years, as would-be conflicts were identified and tackled before any pain could come from them.

So after placing the order and sitting next to Ema, Akira smirked when she put her feet on his lap. Teased her as she teased him over the prospect of a foot rub. Tickled her instead, just to see her laugh more in humor than from sensation.

These simple everyday moments were a reward in and of themselves, but Akira was blessed to have someone who challenged him as much as he challenged them.


	9. Justification

"Do these people have nothing better to do?" Aoi glared at the mob of people holding signs in the road. There were only twenty or thirty of them, but with the help of microphones and a complete disrespect for others they managed to block the intersection, harassing cars and pedestrians alike.

On an individual level that was most likely, but Yusaku couldn't think of any one activity that all of the protesters were likely to share. Except, "Therapy, maybe?"

Yusaku's eyes were on the group, but he heard Aoi's metal chair creak as she leaned back in it. "Maybe," she said, "but that relies on these people realizing they need help."

"To be fair, they're not completely wrong." Go said.

Yusaku turned back to the café table and reached for his smoothie. "I don't think 'email is killing language.' As digital tools go, that one's fairly neutral. It doesn't carry 'Data,'" and he used air-quotes to alert the other two to his true meaning, "unless specifically told to. The only reason it's not totally safe is because email is so versatile and universal, anybody can use it for anything."

It was hard for Yusaku to read Go under the sunglasses, jacket and hat, but he was fairly sure his friend wasn't joking when he said, "But still, couldn't some of those people be able to tell that there's something very wrong with their technology?"

"Low-level psychics?" Aoi said.

"Or just people who are more sensitive to the health of their soul." Go put a hand to his chin. "Like, maybe someone who doesn't do a lot of dueling, or have enough money to use a computer or a tv a lot. They try going on Vrains once, and it just feels wrong to them, so they assume the problem is technology itself instead of this specific device."

"Not likely." Yusaku said, "Even if they're naturally inclined to feel the changes of the soul- so, psychic- people aren't likely to notice the damage being done because there really is none. A single use of the Vrains isn't any worse than losing a duel- it's only a problem when you use it over and over. Like one of those old X-Rays." Which he figured Go would remember, but then again he didn't work with technology as often as Yusaku.

Go started to say, "Yes, but-"

Before Aoi cut him off. "And anyways, wouldn't that require them to already be anti-technology? They'd already be the sort of 'the future is bad' types, with or without the Vrains."

"Yeah, but maybe they'd be more-"

Glass shattered somewhere on the street, and the chanting voices began to rise. Yusaku could tell from his friends faces that the protest was getting ugly. With so few people the fight couldn't last long, but it would be best to get out of the way just incase something went wrong.

The three of them made their way inside and found the bathroom. As they waited outside for the fourth party member to join them, Go continued his train of thought.

"See, this is what I mean. Those guys are going to get themselves arrested, but won't they make a statement?"

Won't some people pay attention, he meant. Aoi seemed to disagree, "If they get on the news for hating all technology, it won't make people wonder if we have a point. If they associate us with those protesters, it'll just make us look like extremists."

Which was made all the more likely since the public didn't know what Hanoi really stood for. "Not if we separated ourselves." Go pointed out, "Not if we told them why we're different."

"You know that'll never happen."

"Why not?" Yusaku felt somewhat compelled to agree with Go on this point. On the one hand, if people were educated on the risks they were taking, they'd presumably avoid them. On the other hand, SOL Tech probably had lawyers and corrupt experts by the dozen just waiting to 'disprove' any evidence Hanoi could make public.

Or at least, that's what Yusaku had been told. And Aoi, and Go, even if Go doubted it.

He wasn't sure how much Aoi agreed with either side, and she said, "Don't look at me, I'm not the one you have to convince." Just before the bathroom door opened, and group headed off.

…/…/…/…/…/…|…\…\…\…\…\…

So I am now looking for a beta reader. Please message me if you're interested.


	10. Compromised

bBRRR BRRR BRRR/b

bBRRR BRRR BRRR/b

bBRRR BRR/b

"This had better be important, Fujiki. If you"

"She's here."

"What?"

"One of them is here. The doctors who worked on that project ten years ago, one of them is on the subway with me."

"What?"

"I said"

"No, nevermind, I- are you certain?"

"Three things. 1) This woman is wearing a SOL Tech uniform for the development division. 2) She has the exact same face as"

"You're sure enough to be calling me. That's- Where are you right now? Which line?"

"427th Northbound. The next stop is Akanozomi, and after that Dueling Square."

"You're on the express? Damn."

"It's irrelevant. These cars aren't very crowded, she is- or was looking out the window when I saw her, so I can't be sure I'll avoid her attention."

"Calm down, Fujiki. We're working to figure out a way into the transit system on our end, talking nonsense doesn't help."

"I am calm. I'm explaining why she'll see me if I try to leave now."

"You're starting to get loud."

"No. I'm whispering, if anything I'm getting quieter."

"Shh!"

…

"Status report, Fujiki. Who else is in there with you two?"

"We're not in the same car anymore, I moved to the connecting cabin when most of the passengers were leaving."

"Why didn't you get out with them?"

"First, the last stop was Hiroba No Seizouba, and everyone leaving was in a workers' uniform. Second, even though about eighty percent of the commuters were leaving all at once, I couldn't see her in the crowd until only ten were left on board. And third, by then she was right next to the exit."

"What about the other passengers? Is there anyone there who might be a danger?"

"I can't see outside from here without risking her attention. I think that there aren't any possible threats, just a few others with SOL bags and badges. None of them looked higher than middle-management rank."

"What else? Remember you're our only eyes and ears on site."

"Two subway cars, one with the opponent. No cameras. Doors on either side, if you can stop the car so that the doors open on the left side I"

"Forget that. Nobody here has hacked this system before and they have at least double encryption. Even with all available computers just crunching the numbers it's still going to take time. Assume that outside help is not an option before you tackle the problem, Fujiki."

"Then I should hang up."

"Depends- is someone else in the car is likely to listen in and remember you?"

"I told you, I'm in the connecting cabin. It's barely a square meter."

"Well can you see into the other cars?"

"If I stand up, yes. There's windows, but I'm sitting under them."

"Great, then stay there for now."

"I'm hanging up now."

"Don't- I told you you're our only way in."

"If you can't break the system there's nothing you can do, and the shorter this call the smaller the threat. I can handle myself, I only thought you might be able to schedule an emergency stop."

"But we can't get an update on the situation without you. You, me, the others, our safety hinges on SOL Technologies thinking that we're dead. If you break that illusion today, we need to know as soon as possible so we can make preparations."

"…"

"If she sees me."

"I'm sorry, but the incident ten years ago took money and manpower our people no longer have. We'll try to rescue you, but it's unlikely we'll be able to."


	11. Aid

The fourth time Yusaku met the Ignis was the first time the Ignis saved Yusaku's life.

Yusaku had planned to avoid all unnecessary human contact on this mission, and he only had the barest cover story prepared. When the time came, it hadn't mattered that he was part of the tour group and had the badge to prove it.

It might've worked better if Yusaku hadn't run when the security officer got within ten feet.

He kept turning corners until he found a corridor with a four-way split further down and a door slightly ajar leading to a dark room. Yusaku sprinted for the door, slowing only to ensure it closed quietly.

He waited in the dark for a few minutes, holding still while listening to the guards' footsteps split up and pass him by outside. Once it felt safe, Yusaku let out a sigh of relief and turned away from the door.

He wasn't willing to turn the lights on while still being pursued, but Yusaku could see red and green LED lights from unknown machines, some blinking. If there were any terminals in this room he might be able to use one of them.

Alternatively, Yusaku could use his own abilities. There would be a risk of leaving Data in the data, but his options were limited.

The closest device had six green blinking lights spaced equally apart, and looking around he noticed similar spacing on similar rows of three to eight green lights all around the room. Perhaps maximum CPU trackers. He found one with only one green light, and reached into the device.

He got lucky. Only three terminals accessing this server. Nobody would notice him sneaking in.

His mind within the server's systems, Yusaku followed the server connections to the local network. He looked for streams of bits representing video footage, putting a hand up to observe the data as it passed.

It took longer than expected to find footage from a security camera. Following the stream led him to the security team's sub-network. By then he was nervous about leaving his body for so long, irritated at whoever decided to stream Naruto at work.

"This is unexpected."

Yusaku knew that voice. He knew every entity capable of interacting with digital material in this manner. All of them were his allies. All but this one.

The Ignis hung onto someone's software download the same way it did exposed pipelines in Vrains. Outside the Vrains, manifestations of raw data were mere packets of binary pulses. Through the gaps Yusaku could see the parts of the Ignis that were always submerged beneath the surface of the walls it traveled in.

Thin tentacles supported the AI. Short and thin, but constantly in motion like wisps of smoke. Yusaku wondered if it had to keep in motion to remain stationary against the flow of binary, or if it was always moving that way.

"Nothing to say? Are you still dazzled by my presence?" The eye twisted as though laughing.

Yusaku scowled. "What do you want?"

"Eh? Getting right down to business?" It pouted, adding, "You're more fun when you're dueling."

"Any attempts to capture you in this world would be pointless." Yusaku said. "One: Outside the Vrains, any duel, but especially one with the power you and I hold, runs the risk of causing a Data buildup and expanding the Cyverse into this network. Two: Unlike you, I have a corporeal body, and it could be found if we crash the servers. Three: Though I may not be ordinary, my abilities as a human are far less powerful in this place than your abilities as an AI."

The Ignis twirled again as it said, "Are you complimenting me? That's good! That means you're finally recognizing my greatness!"

Yusaku grit his teeth and turned back to studying the security network.

The Ignis protested, "Hey, don't just turn away! It's rude to ignore someone when they're talking to you, you know!"

"I don't have time for this." Yusaku snapped. On any other day, he'd be focused entirely on the AI, but escape took priority.

"But don't you want to know why I'm here?" When Yusaku ignored it, the Ignis continued, "Fine! See if I care! Good luck getting out without my help, I'll visit you in exile."

"Your help?" Yusaku stopped fiddling with the passcode he'd been working on and turned around.

The Ignis twirled in the data again. "That's right, I came here to help! Out of the goodness of my own heart, mind you."

It made sense for the Ignis to protect its targets. Until it had what it wanted from Yusaku, anyways. Perhaps in this situation, the creature might be useful.

"Fine." Yusaku said. "Tell me how you're going to help me."

The Ignis chuckled, then it pulled its entire manifestation into the stream it clung to. It shot through the stream like a bullet, and as he watched it do complex loops through forks and connections Yusaku realized that in this manifestation the Ignis couldn't jump between connections the way he could. It needed a path of connections, like any real data.

The AI didn't slow down until it had arrived on the very same security network Yusaku had tried to break into. "You just get back to your body." The Ignis said, "Just don't run through the halls like a maniac while escaping, and I'll handle the guards and security."

The Ignis submerged into the network, where the tentacles reached out in all directions. The yellow eye was invisible, but the tentacles moved with such coordination it wouldn't be needed.

Yusaku watched the Ignis move past one layer of security onto the next before he let his consciousness drift away. Back in his body, he went back to the door, and back out to the hall.


	12. Threat

Official Transcript: Board Meeting 3179

Classification: Alpha Security

Participants: [REDACTED] [REDACTED] [REDACTED]

Purpose: [REDACTED]

Transcript Begins at 2:31:59, [RE]/[RE]/[REDA]

[2:31:59] Do we have confirmation of his claim yet?

[2:32:13] Nothing yet. The incident ten years ago was covered up fairly well, but if Hanoi truly has the survivors they could make trouble.

[2:32:13] Would anyone believe them? The word of known terrorists wouldn't be worth much without evidence.

[2:32:20] It's not a matter of whether or not they can prove anything. Merely making a claim would sow the seeds of a scandal.

[2:32:27] On the other hand, it appears Hanoi still does not have the Ignis either.

[2:32:32] But with the incoming problems the city is facing, we might have to divert our resources away from the issues of Cyverse.

[2:32:41] Perhaps we can capitalize on those problems. Petition the council to request a Disaster Cushion. Only a small portion needs to be redirected towards the search.

[2:32:53] It could work.

[2:32:55] But the records are checked very thoroughly. Any mistake would lead to an investigation, which could lead to the Ignis and the Cyverse issue.

[2:33:04] Which would in turn lead to Hanoi being investigated, and they could provoke interest in the incident a decade ago.

[2:33:11] Decisions, decisions.

[2:33:18] There's still not much information that's certain about the incoming trouble. The fields were raided, not burnt.

[2:33:26] Is there something that makes you think this?

[2:33:31] I've been looking over recent inter-city communications. The attacks largely occurred in the west, and Neolith City has been giving shorter reports with less frequency. It could be they've suffered a food shortage.

[2:33:45] We'd know if they were facing hostile forces, even if they meant to keep it quiet from Den City. No one who could be traveling to that area has commissioned Solid Vision technology or military grade cards from us.

[2:33:59] That is true. I think we should also consider the possibility that Neolith is pushing their hostiles towards us.

[2:34:07] Unlikely. They have nothing to gain.

[2:34:11] Perhaps it's not a power play. Perhaps it's a favor.

[2:34:19] You can't mean

[2:34:20] You think they would go that far, so soon?

[2:34:23] Impossible. They only just contacted us yesterday. If this is an intimidation tactic they would have waited until we refused them or at least made their message clear.

[2:34:36] I agree. War is the one thing LDS keeps a consistent policy on. They'll support militaries and mercenaries, yes, but they are never deployed unless all other options have run dry.

[2:34:49] We cannot pretend the possibility doesn't exist. If we are lucky, the call was just that, and nothing more. But if there are deeper meanings, we cannot afford to be caught off guard.

[2:35:02] What would they even gain from arranging raids on Den City? How would they benefit?

[2:35:08] They've always wanted a monopoly on the production of duel disks and cards.

[2:35:12] Still, if their goal was to tear us down entirely, they would've done so long ago. Unless something has changed recently.

[2:35:20] You think they knew about the Cyverse?

[2:35:24] No. Our security is top-notch, no one outside this city knows anything of the work we have done, never mind outside this dimension.

[2:35:30] In that case, the attacks might related to what they asked of us.

[2:35:34] That would defeat the whole purpose. An unofficial export ban is useful only if nothing draws the public's eye to it.

[2:35:41] We might be getting ahead of ourselves. None of this is certain.

[2:35:45] No. Still, we should all update our plans for if LDS turns against us.

[2:35:50] And for if they learn about the incident ten years ago.

[2:35:53] Right, we need to get back on topic. Hanoi's claim hasn't been made public yet, but with third-party representatives present it's only a matter of time. When the rumors emerge, we cannot address them.

[2:36:05] We'll have to make sure this scandal is contained within Den City. At best we can expect a few rumors to travel elsewhere in Honshu, but we must keep it at that. LDS gaining interest is the worst possible case, but we must ensure the situation never gets bad enough for that.

[2:36:23] What about Phoenix? They always buy supplies from this world, but this claim is exactly the kind that would bring them against us. Or worse, entice an investigation from them.

[2:38:35] We have covered our tracks well. The only evidence that can be brought to light is the testimony of the children from ten years ago. If Hanoi has recruited all of them, then we can discredit their testimonies by claiming they were indoctrinated and brainwashed by known terrorists. Even if there is a survivor outside of Hanoi, we should be able to silence a few extra voices as well.


	13. Skirmish

"Hey!"

The Ignis showed itself to Blue Angel just as Revolver had predicted- it went straight for her, with six of SOL Technologies' auto-bots trailing behind.

"Miss Knight!"

Of course it felt the need to acknowledge her, as a heads up or just to provoke her. Probably both. "IHaveSomeStalkers-WouldYouPleaseHelpDefendThisPoorAIDamsel!"

Six enemies- six dispensable, one objective. Six airborne, one stuck to wall climbing. If she timed this right, she could achieve both objectives.

In one move Blue Angel manifested her whip and drew a hand of cards. She had just enough time to activate a Trickstar Narkiss before they got within range.

iBattle. Target Selected./i

With her whip, Blue Angel lashed one of the drones (iBind/i) and swung it into the drone nearest to it. As she moved, her Narkiss destroyed another drone.

In a duel this would take out only one attacker, but the beauty of Solid Vision was that the rules were more advice than binding. Blue Angel's influence on the Vrains let her dictate more than Solid Vision would have in real life, so her Narkiss's blow send the drone spinning into its neighbor.

iTurn end./i

Four down, and the last drone had changed course- it was heading straight for her. To her left, the Ignis was sneaking past her; getting away.

The remaining drones were closing in too fast, the time it would take Aoi to build momentum in the right direction wasn't worth it. Perhaps if she- but using her deck had its advantages.

Blue Angel summoned Trickstar Candina, and then special summoned Trickstar Lilybell while she instructed her whip to retract.

iBattle. Target Selected./i

As the last two drones were destroyed, Blue Angel turned her attention to the Ignis.

iTrap activated. Opponent Selected./i

Each monster struck its own pose, and Aoi whispered "Solar Ray" as yellow lasers hit the Ignis directly, momentarily halting it.

"AUGH!"

Six hundred damage per LIGHT monster, three LIGHT monsters on her field. With Solid Vision (and Aoi's digital parody of it) damage couldn't be measured out in numbers so easily, but the Ignis wasn't fragile.

"Owowow…" If that blast halted the Ignis, either it's user-friendliness protocols were detrimental to its purpose, or it deliberately gave away its position.

Whatever, it gave her the time she needed.

iTurn end. Effects. Activate Spell./i bDouble Summon/b

Blue Angel summoned Trickstar Narkiss and Trickstar Lycoris. For now she didn't need them to attack head-on, instead the four monsters surrounded the Ignis' position. This wasn't the most secure way to trap a target, but her whip couldn't grab something partially embedded in the ground.

The eye widened briefly and then quivered a little. "Oh, wow, you don't mess around, do you?"

As it spoke, something around the AI began to change. If she could only rely on her regular five senses, Blue Angel wouldn't have noticed any change. On the Vrains, her senses went beyond that.

iBattle. Target Selected./i

She chose Candina to attack.

"Woah! You- you really don't mess around."

Whatever it was trying to do, it hadn't slowed down with the damage. In fact, it was almost done.

iTurn end./i

Taking a risk, Blue Angel began to walk towards her target. If it wanted her siblings it would want her, and so long as she was fast enough…

Whatever its learning capabilities might have been, the Ignis certainly didn't learn when to shut up. "Heh, I guess you're supposed to be 'the serious one,' eh? The first real challenge, the one who makes me take things seriously?"

She was standing right in front of it when the AI stopped its internal activity.

iActivate Spell./i

Fortunately, her hunch was right- the Ignis was still trying to turn the tables on her. bHarpie's Feather Duster/b brushed away whatever trap it had been planting.

The eye went lax as it said, "That is such a cliché- Eh?" Now- when it's behavioral mimicry was taking over. "Where did-"

Arm outstretched, Blue Angel launched herself at the Ignis. Her hand closed over the eye and she could feel the paths the light of human souls took as they sunk into Cyberspace around her. Aoi had more than enough power to hold the Ignis with her own strength, but by bending the leylines into a cage she was preventing it from using that same energy to escape.

"Waah!" The Ignis wailed as it pushed against Blue Angel's makeshift cage with its own limited reach. The strength of its pushes were weak compared to what the others had told her, Blue Angel assumed it was merely testing the cage and looking for weak spots.

So she punched the AI with her unoccupied hand. Anything could be distracted with a new black eye, which was doubly true when the injury encompassed the entire body. It was stupid for Kogami to make the Ignis with pain receptors, if helpful for her.

iTurn End./i

Blue Angel drew another card while the eye watered and rolled.

"Owowow. Hey, miss, are you still doing that?"

iActivate Spell./i bDark Room of Nightmare./b

"This isn't a duel- but you're using your deck very effectively."

To play a card with any real force behind it Blue Angel had to split her attention between maintaining her grip and lending power to the spell. Drawing energy from her surroundings through the cage helped with multitasking.

The Ignis just kept talking. "Ahh, that's right- you can bend the Vrains, can't you? You, that boy I met, and that other girl. You know, they mostly used it for simple stuff, like getting through a wall to get to me. But of course, all duel monsters are just the manifestation of energy summoned from other planes."

i Battle. Target Selected./i

Lycoris moved around her mistress for the blow, but the real power was in the shadows that lingered where the blow landed and tightened on the wounds.

That would be enough damage.

Reaching out, she felt the Vrains around her, energy expanding past herself and the Ignis. The very fabric of this world itself was malleable to those who had enough strength.

The spell had no card, no power but her own. Her presence spread out as far as she could reach, Aoi only had to tug and the ground turned to water.

Coming back to herself, her monsters were now above and below the Ignis like corners of an invisible box. The eyeball clung to a small piece of gravel that bobbed underwater, Blue Angel and her summons floating with wings that worked just as well in the new terrain.

The AI's gaze was flitting about almost nervously. "Yeah, this is closer to what the others did. Only, they didn't use the terrain changes the same way you did."

Blue Angel reached out to the Ignis, focusing around it and began building a cage about it's presence.

The eye stopped, narrowed at her, and in a voice at least a full octave deeper said, "Too bad for you I can swim."

She'd ignored the machine's babbling for so long, she didn't process those words until it lashed out with its own presence and snapped her cage in half. It sped out and away from her too fast to be stopped. It swam down, small tendrils she didn't know it had propelling it like an octopus.

Blue Angel cursed her stupidity, for believing the eye it showed on the surface made up the entire being. She had the water and her cards to help as she swam after it, but even then something told her it wouldn't be enough.

…/…/…/…/…/…|…\…\…\…\…\…

AN:

The basic idea behind this fic is something that was introduced in ARC-V, but then dropped and forgotten; the concept of using Duel Monsters not just as a card game, but as supplements for a physical battle. We had Yuya's hippos blocking doors, trampoline cats providing a soft landing, Kurosaki riding on his birds, and then suddenly all the monster-human interactions stopped.

So I came up with a set of rules for how one could potentially use Duel Monsters outside of a duel- and I will admit it relies heavily on the concept of souls and magic being inherently tied to the game. Instead of losing lifepoints, a target gets physical damage with varying degrees of force behind the attack corresponding to the monsters attack points. Defensive monsters will physically block their summoner's body from damage. Instead of passing moves back and forth between duelists, you get your next turn whenever your "inner magic stores" replenish- which varies from person to person depending on their magical strength and potential. I can give more information on this if anybody wants it- just contact me.

When Blue Angel is in VRAINS, she has about 2-4 seconds between ending one turn and her energy replenishing to the point where she can have another turn- which, in my world, is EXTREMELY OP. Most people need, on average, 1-4 minutes to be able to take another turn. Aoi is only this powerful in VRAINS, and only because of her supernatural/cyborg abilities. Likewise, I gave Blue Angel some abilities similar to what Revolver shows- reshaping the terrain of VRAINS, plus some of my interpretations of some of his unexplained abilities.

I AM NOW LOOKING FOR A BETA READER. PLEASE MESSAGE ME OR CONTACT ME ON TUMBLR IF YOU'RE INTERESTED:


End file.
